Islam på universitetet. En innehållsanalys av islamisk predikan på Chalmers

Abstract

This paper analyzes the content of eight Islamic Friday-sermons, held at Chalmers Technical University in Gothenburg in spring 2010, organized by Chalmers Islamiska Förening (CIF) (Chalmers Islamic community). The forces of globalization, the accessibility of information and the Internet have given rise to discourses and movements that know no national boundaries. The accessibility of these global movements and discourses through media, Internet, etc., affect the way Muslims in Sweden interpret and practice their religion. Thus, this paper includes discussions and descriptions of global Islamic revivalist-movements, and relates the contents of the sermons at Chalmers to these movements. In the sermons, the imams often discuss the concept of a global Muslim community, the umma, and their perceptions of the prescribed ethics linked to this community. They often relate this discussion of ethics to frequently discussed issues in the West such as equality, justice and ethical standards in war. The imams legitimize such discussions and concepts by referring to quotes from the Qu‘rān and the Hadīth, as well as to expositions by Muslim theologians and historical figures. They often use these quotes to denote that the actions and attitudes to be taken toward these subjects lies within the Islamic sources. Another key aspect of Islamic revivalist-movements that is explored in this paper is the concept of da‘wa, in which the message of Islam is disseminated, and with it an invitation to join Islamic faith. This paper will attempt to investigate in what way the content of the sermons can be linked to broader trends and patterns within global Islamic revivalist-discourses. The paper also investigates to what extent the descriptions and norms related to the Islamic preaching tradition affects the content of the sermons.